The actor suggested then that he was stopped because he had a Muslim name. US customs officials said he had not been detained, only questioned.

Members of the Indian film industry have also come out in support of the actor, with composer Javed Akhtar saying: "All that the US immigration authorities need to know about Shah Rukh Khan, they can find it at the touch of a button."

The Bollywood star was released from detention after Yale University contacted homeland security and customs officials.

Speaking to students at Yale, Khan joked about the incident, saying: "They [immigration officials] always ask me how tall I am and I always lie and say 5 foot 10 inches. Next time I am going to get more adventurous. [If they ask me] what colour are you, I am going to say white."